What will I experience?

Put learning into practice by doing a paid work placement, either in the UK or overseas

Become a Formula 1 student

What opportunities might it lead to?

This course is accredited by the the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) and the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET), meeting the standards set by the Engineering Council in the UK Standard for Professional Engineering Competence (UK-SPEC). It will lead to eventual Chartered Engineer (CEng) status with further study. It puts you in an excellent position to start a career as a professional engineer.

Here are some routes our graduates have pursued:

design

research and development

product manufacture

project management

The opportunity to go on a placement year and gain some experience in industry is a great bonus.

Structure & Teaching

Year one

You will begin the course with the foundations of engineering science and engineering design, including some computer-aided design. You’ll also get the chance to manufacture a product of your own design.

Core units in this year will include:

Communication and Engineering Technology Appreciation

Electrical and Electronic Principles

Introduction to Design

Mathematical Principles

Mechanical Engineering Principles

Introduction to Solid Mechanics and Dynamics

Year two

Broaden your knowledge gained in the first year. You’ll study further mathematics and engineering science, engineering materials, manufacturing and business, instrumentation and control, and computer-aided engineering.

Core units from this year will include:

Computer Aided Engineering and Product Manufacture

Engineering Design

Engineering Mathematics, Instrumentation and Control

Materials and Manufacture (ENG)

Solid Mechanics and Dynamics

Options to choose from in this year include:

Energy Engineering

Engineering Programming

Year three*

In your final year you will cover solid mechanics, manufacturing systems and sustainable development. There is also a range of topics for you to tailor your studies as well as practical project work.

Core unit options in this year include:

Design and Sustainable Development

Individual Project

Integrated Engineering Group Business Project

Materials, Solid Mechanics and Dynamics

Thermofluid Mechanics

*This course is also available as a 4-year sandwich (work placement)

Teaching and Assessment

You will be taught through a mixture of lectures, seminars, tutorials (personal and academic), laboratory and project work, CAE system activity and open access study. The course has a strong practical emphasis and we pride ourselves on working at the leading-edge of technology and learning practices.

How are you assessed?

A range of assessment methods encourages a deeper understanding of engineering and allows you to develop your skills. Here’s how we assess your work:

written examinations

coursework

practical tests

project work

presentations

Tutor's view

Dr Zhongyi ZhangMechanical Engineering

Our teaching provides you with balanced theoretical knowledge of engineering and technology and the ability to resolve engineering and technological problems. This is complemented by a challenging but rewarding MEng project, should you choose this route, which is supported by research active staff and labs equipped with the state-of-the-art facilities.

Facilities & Features

Laboratories

Formula Student

Design, construct and test a competitive race car

Maths Café

The Maths Café - drop in any time and get one-to-one help

University Library

Our library offers a wealth of information

Laboratories

We offer you a range of labs such as the Analogue Electronics and Control Engineering Laboratory as well as the Telecommunications and Signal Processing Laboratory to name a few. From Digital Signal Processing (DSP) kits to walking robots, all are well-equipped with industry-standard experimental and computational facilities.

Formula Student

Design, construct and test a competitive race car. Prizes to be won and lots of great networking opportunities as you race on the famous Silverstone circuit in competition with 3,000 students from all over the world.

Maths Café

Drop in any time and get one-to-one help with that tricky maths or stats problem. With handouts on key topics to take away and computer aided learning packages, we can get the problem solved and help you improve your numeracy skills.

University Library

Modern, comfortable and a great learning environment, our library offers a wealth of information including 400,000 books, DVDs, maps and thousands of online ejournals and newspapers. Many electronic resources are available anywhere, 24/7 and our friendly staff are always on hand to help.

Budgeting for your studies

There are extra costs associated with studying, which you will need to consider when planning your expenditure.

Recommended texts:
If you wish to purchase recommended texts, rather than borrow from the University Library, the average price is £50-£60. You may be studying up to 6 units a year, each with a standard recommended text.

General costs:
We recommend that you budget £75 a year for costs of photocopying, memory sticks, DVDs and CDs, printing charges, binding and specialist printing.

Final year project:
If your final year includes a major project, there could be cost for transport or accommodation related to your research activities. The amount will depend on the project you choose to develop.

Careers & Opportunities

Career prospects

Where next?

It is generally accepted that there is a current shortage of engineers and our courses are aimed at educating engineers for a multitude of different careers in engineering and technology. Not only does this course meet the requirements of the major engineering graduate programmes, it gives you the chance to sample the workplace with a year-long industrial placement. Placement employers may even offer a sponsorship for your remaining years of study, a job offer on graduation, or both.

Roles our graduates have taken on include:

mechanical engineer

product design engineer

aerospace engineer

application engineer

Work experience

Employment boosting opportunities

Taking a placement year in industry could be one of the best decisions you make and, more often than not, it leads to further opportunities after graduation. Our Student Placement and Employability Centre (SPEC) not only helps you to arrange your placement but acts as a source of information and guidance throughout the recruitment process and beyond. We help on anything and everything related to your employability as well as assisting you in securing other types of work experience.

Here are some examples of the roles our students have secured for their placements:

Undergraduate Engineer at Elta Fans

Trainee Project Engineer at RJM International

Engineering Graduate at Tulip

Career planning

To make sure you take the right steps on your career path, we’re here to give you help, support and advice throughout your study. Even after you’ve graduated, we continue to give you support for up to five years.

Employers tell us that they want graduates to be able to demonstrate certain skills when they come out of university. Our courses take account of this. We make sure we prepare you for employment through work-related learning, projects, placements and working in simulated environments that are designed to prepare you for the working world.